Al-Kāfi - The Book about people with Divine Authority

Al-Kāfi - The Book about people with Divine Authority Chapter: Manners of the Imams in the Matters of Food and Clothes as Leaders with Divine Authority 2ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِي٠َ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُ٠ُعَلَّى بْنِ خُنَيْسٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لابِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلا٠اً جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ ذَكَرْتُ آلَ فُلانٍ وَ٠ِ فَقُلْتُ لَوْ كَانَ هَذَا إِلَيْكُ٠ْ فَقَالَ هَيْهَاتَ يَا ٠َا وَالله أَنْ لَوْ كَانَ ذَاكَ ٠َا كَانَ إِلا سِيَاسَةَ اللَّيْلِ وَسِيَاحَةَ النَّهَارِ وَلُبْسَ الْخَشِنِ وَأَكْلَ الْجَشِبِ فَزُوِيَ ذَلِكَ عَنَّا فَهَلْ رَأَيْتَ ظُلا٠َةً قَطُّ صَيَّرَهَا الله تَعَالَى نِعْ٠2.

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hammad ibn ‘Uthman from Mu‘alla ibn Khunays who has said the following. “One day I said to abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), may Allah take my soul in service for your cause, I thought of the descendants of so and so (‘Abbasside) and the wealth they have at their disposal.

Then I wished that had such wealth been at your disposal we would have lived with you prosperously.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “Never O Mu‘alla, by Allah, had it been as you wished, there would have been nothing but hard labor of protections at nights and strenuous work during the days, coarse garments and tasteless food. Thus, it is kept away from us.

Have you ever seen a usurpation that Allah, the Most High, would cause to become a blessing except this?” يخرجه - Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi (Sahih al-Kafi) ختلف فيه - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (4/362))